Zatanna's Only Exception
by YJ-Obsessed
Summary: This is just a one-shot I thought of while listening to The Only Exception by Paramore. Hope you like it.


_**Okay. Most people would associate The Only Exception by Paramore with Spitfire. I thought it would also work with Robin and Zee. I don't really know what happened to Zatanna's mom, Sindella, but I know that she's dead. I thought, maybe she had cancer. So, I thought that this song would go with that line of thinking. I hope you like it. **_

_**Just to be clear,**_WORDS = song  
WORDS = story

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the series Young Justice, or any of its characters, blah blah blah. I don't own the song Only Exception by Paramore. The only thing that I own is the idea of this**_** story.**

When I was younger, I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind.  
He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it.

Zatanna was about four when her mom got cancer. She didn't really understand what was going on. She just knew that her parents were sad a lot. When they dropped her mom off at the big building with a lot of white-Daddy called it a "hospital"-her dad tried not to let her see the tears that raced down his face. But she did. Zatanna didn't understand that it was because her mom only had about two months to live.

And my momma swore she would never let herself forget.  
But that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.

The day Zatanna's mom died was a strange day. Sindella kept saying that she loved her a lot. "I know that, Mommy." the young girl had replied. Her mom smiled sadly.

"I know you do sweety. I just want you to remember. And know that no matter what, I will never forget you or Daddy. Okay, Zatanna?"

The four year old frowned in confusion. Why would her mom forget her or Daddy? Still, she replied, "Okay Mommy." The next day, her dad came into her room, with tears in his eyes. Her mother had passed away last night. Zatanna felt like her whole world had caved in around her. She hated this feeling. That was when Zatanna started to shut people out. She was still bubbly and friendly, but she never really let herself love anyone again. That is, until a bird smiled at her.

But darling, you are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.

Robin started to worm his way into Zatanna's heart. And she was letting him. She hadn't felt so light in a long time. Every time she saw him, he made her laugh and smile. It was worth getting in trouble with her dad to see him. Whenever Robin would put his hand on her shoulder, or even just say hi, Zatanna felt the walls around her heart get cracks in them. She was starting to let herself love him...but she didn't want to feel the ache again if something happened to him. The only one with a key to her heart's was her dad. He was the only one that she let herself love. Zatanna knew that her dad wasn't going anywhere.

Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts.  
And we've got to find other ways to make it alone, or keep a straight face.

When Zatarra put on the helmet of Fate...Zatanna felt numb for a minute. That was okay. It wasn't the heart-shattering, world-crushing pain that she had felt when her mom died. And then, that minute was over. She let out a sob and fell to her knees. Robin was by her side faster than even Kid Flash. He put his arm around her shoulders and held her hand. Zatanna just stared after her father as he flew away, with tears in her eyes. She blinked them away. She wouldn't break down. Not in front of everyone. Zatanna sat on her heels for a few minutes, before taking a deep breath and walking away from the group and into the bio ship. She didn't talk to anyone. Didn't show any emotion. Even Batman was impressed.

They brought all of Zatanna's things to her new room in the cave. She asked the Megan, Artemis and Robin for a minute. Robin was the last to leave. He looked like he wanted to say something, but she knew that he was the only one to see the true depth of pain in her eyes. Somehow, Robin seemed to understand. He left her alone and shut the door so she could finally let out the tears that she had been holding back for three hours. Zatanna sat on her bed and sobbed. She was alone. Totally and completely...alone.

And I've always lived like this; keeping a comfortable distance.  
And up until now, I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness.  
Because none of it was ever worth the risk.

Zatanna was officially on the team now. There was no other option. She still missed her dad like crazy, but she couldn't deny that she loved being on the team. Artemis, Megan and Raquel were awesome. Conner, Wally and Kaldur all tried to make her feel comfortable, but for the most part gave her space. And Robin...Robin was her best friend. He would listen when she wanted to talk, or just sit with her when she didn't. Robin never pushed her for answers or kept saying, "I'm sorry." The others meant well, but sometimes they just needed to stop talking, and leave her alone. Zatanna and Robin hung out a lot at the cave, but she kept telling herself that they were _just_ friends. Best friends. But you can only lie to yourself for so long.

The team won. They defeated their mentors and put the de-brainwashing chips in them. It was now New Year's Day. Wally kissed Artemis, _finally._ Megan and Conner kissed. Then...Zee couldn't lie to herself any longer. She was in love with Robin. The young sorceress grabbed the hacker's arm, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her waist and it was the perfect first kiss.

But darling, you are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.

Zee and Robin-he eventually revealed his true identity as Dick Grayson-had a great relationship. They were best friends, but still had romance. Some people said that if you are too buddy-buddy with who you date, it won't last. Those people couldn't have been more wrong. Dick and Zee always teased each other. They would make light of the other's mistakes. They dated for a good five years, then kind of drifted apart. They never officially broke it off, they just silently agreed that they were at a point in their lives where they needed to fly separately. Of course, there was still enough of a spark between them that Zee could tell Batgirl to stay away from Nightwing or else. Barbara only made the mistake of flirting with Dick once.

After about two years of hiatus, Richard and Zatanna got back together. Partly because they missed one another like crazy, partly because Nightwing almost died and Zee realized how much she needed him. Everyone kept hinting at marriage, but Zee told Dick that she didn't think she was ready to be a wife and later a mother. Dick knew that she was really saying, "I don't know if I'm ready to tear down that last bit of my wall."

I've got a tight grip on reality,  
but I can't let go of what's in front of me here.

Zatanna and Richard had been dating for another year before he led her out on one of the balconies at Wayne Manor during their New Year's Eve party. It was about two minutes from being New Year's Day. Everyone from the League and the team was their. "Dick, what's going on? I thought you wanted to watch the ball drop." Zatanna said in confusion. Dick always loved watching it every year, even though it was always the same. He liked tradition. Zee thought it was kind of cute, the way that after all he had seen, her boy friend still managed to hold onto some part of his childhood wonderment.

"Yeah...but I think this is a little more important." Dick said as he ran a hand through his hair nervously. Zatanna raised an eyebrow in confusion. Richard took a deep breath and reached his hand into his pocket. Zee's eyes widened.

*No, no, no, no! I'm not ready! I-I can't do this!* Zee thought frantically. She was frozen where she stood as Richard stooped down on one knee and pulled out a velvet box.

"Zatanna Zatara..." Dick frowned at that. He wanted this to be personal. Her full name sounded to formal. "Zee. I _know_ that you say that you aren't ready to be married. I also know that what you're _really_ worried about is whether or not you're ready to open up your heart completely. I love you. You are my best friend. I can't imagine spending my life with _anyone_ but the amazing, beautiful, funny, and witty girl that I fell in love with when I was thirteen. If you want to wait, I'll wait. I don't care how long! Just...Zee, just _please_ say that you will marry me and I promise that I will _never_ hurt you."

Zatanna felt tears make their way down her cheeks. She sunk down to her knees to look Richard in the eye. "All you had to do was ask." She whispered before grabbing Dick's face in her hands and kissing him lightly on the lips. When she pulled away, Richard had the biggest, goofiest smile that she had ever seen, which made her giggle like when they were kids. *How could I ever think that I wasn't ready for this? For _him_?* Of course she was ready to marry Dick. There was no one else...would never be anyone else. Dick laughed too as he opened the box with the ring inside. Zatanna gasped. It wasn't big or flashy...but the ring couldn't have been cheap. It was three silver bands braided together, with small sapphires embedded in the weave all around, with a larger one on the top where it would normally be a diamond. Zatanna just gaped at it.

"Do you like it? I figured, sapphires, 'cause you've always said that they're your favorite. I mean, if you don't I can get something el-"

Zatanna through her arms around her fiance's neck. "It's the absolute perfect ring and don't you dare get anything else, Richard Grayson." She said when she pulled back. Dick smiled and put the ring on her finger.

I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up.  
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream.  
Whoa!

Dick and Zee had the perfect honeymoon. Full of laughter and romance. Zatanna thought it was all too good to be true. When they got back from their honeymoon, they moved into the house Bruce had bought them for their wedding. Zee woke up that morning disoriented and alone. Over the past two weeks, she had gotten used to waking up with Dick's arm around her. In her dazed state, Zee thought to herself, *I knew the dream couldn't last.* Then, with a start, she realized that the bed was covered in flower petals. Not from a rose, like the typical romantic gesture. No. They were daisy petals. Ever since she had watched 'You've Got Mail' with her mom, Zatanna had loved daisies. To quote the movie, daisies were, in Zee's mind, "the friendliest flowers."

She smiled as she got out of bed and followed the trail of daisy heads to the kitchen, where a breakfast was waiting on the table, still warm. There was a card by her plate. Zatanna picked it up and read, "Sorry I had to leave. Bruce has me working at Wayne Enterprise and I wanted to start my first day a little early. I love you, Zee. ~Love, Dick." Zatanna smiled and shook her head. She should have known by now that no matter how much she doubted it, Dick wasn't going anywhere.

You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.

Zee lay in the hospital bed holding her second child. A daughter. Dick was sleeping on the couch in her room with their three year old son, Wally. Zatanna had repeatedly told her husband's best friend they were _not_ naming their son after him, no matter how hard he begged. But when their baby boy came out with Mary's red hair, Dick decided his mother, rest her soul, was telling them something. "Name the boy for Wally." So, their son was dubbed, Wallace Giovanni Grayson. After Dick's best friend, and Zee's father. Wally was excited to have a baby sister and had begged to help pick the name. He had chosen her first name. Mary. He didn't know that was Dick's mother's name, he just thought it was pretty. Still, Zee thought it was perfect. Dick agreed wholeheartedly. Zee chose the middle name Elizabeth.

"We can call her Mary Beth," Zatanna had said. To think, their little family would never have happened if she hadn't talked her father into letting her tag along to the cave all those years ago. Zee smiled as she held her baby girl. She found a new place in her heart made for little Mary Beth.

You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
You are the only exception.  
And I'm on my way to believing.

Zatanna smiled as she watched Wally cross the stage and flip his tassel over the other side of his graduation cap. Zatanna was so proud. Her son was valedictorian. He had been on the debate team and played basketball. He wasn't as stringy as his father had been at his age. Then again, Wallace hadn't skipped grades like his dad. Mary smiled as her brother did what he had promised her. He leaped up and clicked his heels together, eliciting laughter out of the crowd. While everyone knew that Wallace Grayson was a good kid, they also knew that he was a goof ball every now and then. Mary had been horrified when she heard how many kids were in her brother's graduating class. She kept saying, "I'll go, Van, but if I die of boredom, it's on your head." Mary Beth had started calling her big brother Van when she kept getting confused with the two Wally's. Her uncle and her big brother.

Mary was an intellectual protegee. She could read chapter books when she was in the first grade. So, it was no surprise when she took Van out of Wally's middle name, Giovanni. Anyway, Van had promised his little sister that he would click his heels together when he crossed the stage, to give her something to look forward to. The starting Junior in high school tried to laugh quietly along with everyone else so the rest of the names could be heard, but it was hard. Her parents weren't doing much better.

After the ceremony, Mary ran up to Wally. "You are the best!" She laughed, as he spun her around.

"Um, duh." The red head replied with a toothy grin. Zee shook her head at her crazy kids. Dick took a few pictures of their children. Zee shook her head at the duo. Wally was putting his sister in a head lock in the first picture. Then, Mary was on his back putting him in a choke hold in the next, not being very lady-like about it. Finally, both kids ended up on the ground in a disheveled giggling heap. All the other families were taking nice pictures, where the siblings had their arms around each other. If they did a silly one, they were making faces, not assaulting each other. Zatanna heard someone behind her say,

"Oh, that poor woman. What kind of husband lets their children get so out of hand?" Zatanna knew that she should ignore that woman. She just couldn't resist, though.

Turning around, Zatanna replied proudly, "The best." And with that, she pulled her kids up and put an arm around each of their shoulders. The kids were going to smile nicely now that their mom was in the picture, but she shook her head. "Make the best face you got." Van leaned around his mother and down at his little sister with a questioning look. Mary Beth shrugged.

"If you say so, Mom." Wally said. He hooked a couple of fingers in his mouth and pulled his lip up while crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. Mary made a sadistic-looking, gofer smile, flared her nostrils and made her eyes go different directions. A skill she had practiced a long time to impress her friends-most of which were boys. Their mom just screwed her face up, squinting one eye shut and leaving the other one wide open. Dick was cracking up the whole time. Then, they took one nice one as a family. Only one. Most people took these occasions seriously...the Graysons took them as a serious opportunity to make hilarious memories.

Years later, when Mary graduated from college, and both of Zatanna and Dick's kids were married with children of their own, Zatanna looked back on her life. Sure, there were parts that weren't her favorite. She wouldn't say that her mom dying, or her dad temporarily becoming Dr. Fate were good things...but those two moments in her life gave her the best thing in the whole world. A bird with an amazing smile, infectious laugh, and undying hope. When her mom died, Zee thought that she would never love again. When her dad became Dr. Fate, she swore that she would never open herself up to that kind of pain.

Thinking about this, Zatanna Grayson laughed as she looked at the only exception to that self promise. The boy that taught her to believe in love.

Oh, and I'm on my way to believing.

_**So...what do you think? Review, please!**_


End file.
